Stick the dish in the fridge for half an hour - I can then present the uncooked, marinated skewers to Tracey whe she gets in - the style often found in restaurants in Greece.

Get the flat griddle really hot, and wipe the surface with a very little vegetable oil. Slap the kebabs on the hot plate and sear each side quickly. Once the chicken is close to being cooked through, pour the lemon juice from the marinade over the kebabs. The juice will sizzle and caramelise, giving a tasty coating to the chicken pieces. Turn the kebabs over for the last time, and repeat the sizzling with the juice from the other half of the lemon. Serve immediately.

I have been serving this dish with minted Greek yogourt: just whizz up in a food processor a few springs of mint from the garden with a very little olive oil and a smigeon of salt, then add a couple of large spoonfuls of yogourt. For an extra tang, add a single clove of garlic to the mint in the food processor.

Serve with little lettuce, some chilli sauce and some pitta bread (the wheat-free kind that Tracey needs actually tastes quite good).

I also make chips on the side, but I serve these in an extremely inauthentic style - hot! (For some reason, fries in Greece always seem to arrive tepid at best!)

Use the best-quality whole chicken you can find. Remove any string or elastic holding the wings and legs together. Wash thoroughly inside and out, removing (and retaining) any fat which may be still inside.

It's important to use a trivit - a raised rack which keeps the bird out of the juices. Make sure the pan and trivit are big enough for the bird - and will still fit in your oven! Make sure the oven is thoroughly pre-warmed to 200 Celcius (Gas Mark 6) - otherwise your cooking timings will be thrown out.

Place the bird on the trivit. Optionally, stuff the body of the bird with a whole lemon. Before inserteh the rind scored in many place. Pour a little vegetable oil over the skin, and sprinkle with plenty of salt and pepper. Cover the breast with a couple of slices of streaky bacon (optional) and the fat saved earlier.

Put just enough boiling water in the bottom of the pan to just cover it. Place the pan in the oven.

Traditionally, vegetables would have been cooked to death, and served with lashings of butter. These days, I tend to replace the butter with olive oil, which certainly adds a great taste.

I tend to serve peas with roast chicken, usually using frozen peas for convenience. Place the peas into a microwave-safe dish (one which is also suitable for serving at the table) - use a small handfull for each person. Add enough water to form a quater-inch layer, just a little salt and a good splash of quality olive oil. Top with a sprig of mint from the garden.

Cover the dish with microwave-safe clingfilm, and pierce in a couple of places. Microwave for around 5 minutes, and serve in the dish, having carefully drained the remaining water.

I also tend to serve mashed potatoes - which delightfully soak up the gravy - as well as other microwaved vegetables.

One thing that treally makes this meal a treat is the gravy. Traditionally, gravy with roast chicken is described as "thin", but my Mother would never stand for this notion. (Mother claims that she had the same gravy for 30 years, made from stock from previous days, and added to from the leftovers from today's meal. You could stand a spoon upright in it!)

These days, I'm also avoiding wheat (since Tracey is allergic to it). So, this gravy uses only cornflour.

Start by reducing some red wine. (Yes, I know, white wine with chicken...) I usually seem to have the dregs of a bottle kicking around in the fridge, for some reason. Pour about 1/4 pint into a small saucepan and boil until it is reduced to half the volume. Cool slightly.

This is one of those dishes which seems to come out somewhat different - but always delicious - every time I make it. I suspect that I include a different combination of herbs and spices each time.

This really does requre the use of an old-fashioned pestle-and-mortar - as well as certain amount of "elbow grease" (physical effort).

I acquired my pestle-and-mortar from the University of Manchester Chemistry Stores (yes, really!) many years ago, and it has stood up to much hard use ever since. If you're going to get one, make sure your get something strong and heavy, since cracking peppercorns really does take a lot of pressure.

For this dish, I use skinless, boneless chicken breasts from the supermarket. Wash the chicken fillets and cut into three long pieces. I like to allow one breast per person, as a main course.

I tend to cook this dish with leftovers from a roast chicken, by paring the remaining meat away from the bones, and then boiling up the carcase, bones and skin (about 20 minutes in just enough water to cover) to make the stock. Alternatively, you could just use skinless chicken breasts and a chicken stock cube.

Boil up a pint of chicken stock in a large saucepan. You might like to add a tablespoon of Thai fish sauce, or perhaps a fish stock cube at this point.

If you can get it, add a whole stick of Lemongrass to the stock. (I tend to use the preserved stuff available in jars from the supermarket.) Also, a couple of dried Kaffir Lime leaves give an authentic touch here. Also add to the stock three or four spring onions, chopped coarsely.

Now, decision time! How many chillis to add? This is a matter of taste. I like my food tangy, rather than blisteringly hot, so I use a couple of red birdseye chillies, chopped finely and with the seeds removed. (Don't touch your eyes or mouth while chopping chillis.) Add more chillis at your own risk!

Now add the chopped chicken meat. You can also add a few button mushrooms, chopped in half, at this point. Boil until the meat is cooked through. Carefully remove the kaffir lime leaves and the lemongrass stick.

The traditionally green colour of this dish comes from the combination of coriander leaves (also known as cilantro) and coconut. Add a tablespoon of dried coriander (yes, lots!) to the boiling stock, and stir in well. Allow to simmer for a couple of minutes, then add a couple of ounces of creamed coconut paste and stir in well. You should now have a creamy green sauce.

The secret of this dish is in the cooking of the chicken. This is quite a favourite for a light lunch or dinner, or as a starter for an informal Text-Mex dinner with friends.

You just need one skinless, boneless chicken breast. Wash the chicken and put it in a suacepan with enough water to cover the breast. To the water, add the following: six whole black peppercorns (not ground!), one fresh or dried bayleaf, one clove of garlic, crushed (there's no need to peel it, just smash it flat with the side of a large kitchen knife) and, optionally, one dried chilli.

Bring the water to the boil, then turn down the heat and allow the chicken to simmer for about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the chicken to cool in the liquid for another five or ten minutes.

Meanwhile, finely slice a large onion, three large tomatoes and a large chilli, and stir them together in a bowl to make a simple salsa. (You could use a packet or jar of salsa instead.)

Cover the bottom of a large ovenproof ceramic dish with Nachos. You don't want them to be more than about two-deep anywhere. Spoon the salsa over the nachos, trying to make sure that it is evenly spread.

With a fork, remove the chicken from the water, and cut into small pieces. Sprinkle the chicken all over the nachos and salsa. (Careful - the chicken will still be hot!) Sprinkle lots of grated cheese over the whole lot.

At this point, you could top with slices of pickled jalapeno chillies from a jar. How much you add depends on how hot you like your Nachos!

Put the whole dish into a hot oven (200C, Gas Mark 6) for about 15 minutes, until the salsa is piping hot and all the cheese has melted. Serve immediately in the cooking dish, perhaps with a small dish of soured cream on the side.

Oh, and serve lots of Sol Mexican beer, with a slice of lime stuck in the top!

First, mix up the marinade. Use a screw-top jar - the kind of thing that once held jam, or pickles. In the jar, put a teaspoon of honey (the runny kind), a tablespoon of dark soy sauce, a tablespoon of Chinese rice vinegar, and a tablespoon of dry sherry. Put the top on the jar - carefully! - and shake hard until all of the honey is dissolved.

Slice two chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces, and place them in a non-metallic dish only just large enough to hold them. Pour over the marinade, and mix up so that the chicken pieces are completely coated. Cover the dish with clingfilm and stick it in the fridge for half and hour (at least).

Heat up a hotplace - or use a large non-stick frying pan. Wipe the surface of the plate with a teaspoon of vegetable oil, just to stop the chicken from sticking. When the plate is really hot, shove on the chicken pieces and cook for six minutes or so, turing the chicken frequently to ensure it is evenly cooked through. Splash on any of the left-over marinade while cooking.

Serve immediately, perhaps with Dirty Rice, or perhaps with Thai-style Rice Noodles.

This is a really simple and tasty way of serving chicken for a lunch or light dinner. It works best with skinless boneless breasts.

Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a medium-sized non-stick frying pan. Fry four slices of streaky bacon (or pancetta) until very well-cooked and crispy. Drain on kitchen paper and allow to cool.

Wash one boneless chicken breat and slice into six strips. Dust the chicken strips with mild chilli powder, freshly-ground black pepper and a little salt. Fry the chicken the in same oil used for the bacon for about six minutes, turning occasionally.

While the chicken is cooking, amke up some of my Balsamic Salad Dressing. Arrange some mixed salad leaves (from a packet!) on two plates, drizzle with the dressing and sprinkle with crumbled pieces of bacon.

When th chicken is cooked, arrange pieces on the salad, and serve immediately with a few Saffron Potatoes.